This invention relates to a plate supplying device which operates to automatically supply original printing plates (hereinafter referred to merely as "plates" when applicable) to rotary offset printing machines, or the like.
Recently, there has been a strong need to quickly print considerable amounts of different information.
Printing machines have been developed which are capable of automatically loading a plate on a plate cylinder, supplying printing sheet, suspending the sheet supply upon completion of the printing, inking a rubber cylinder with a plate cylinder, cleaning residual ink on the blanket cylinder, etc.
In a conventional plate supplying device for supplying plates to the conventional printing machine in sequence, a plurality of rollers are arranged on plates stacked on a table, and the plates are delivered to a plate-feeding device successively starting from the top plate by depressing and turning the rollers. However, the plate supplying device of this type suffers from disadvantages that frictional damage to plates due to the rotation of the rollers and errors in supplying the plates due to unsatisfactory friction between the rollers and the plate are liable to be caused. In case additional plates should be loaded the plates stacked on the table, the additional plates must be placed under the old plates, otherwise the plate supplying order is confused. Furthermore, in this case, the provision of the plate delivering device such as the rollers disposed above the plates on the table is a great obstruction in loading plates on the table. In addition, in this plate supplying device, whenever the plate is delivered out by the rotation of the rollers, the height of the stack of plates is decreased. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a means for raising the table, etc. with the delivery of the plates.